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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (UC)


The University of California (UC) system is made up of nine undergraduate campuses with an emphasis on developing research skills and preparing students to advance to graduate and professional education programs. Course content is mostly theoretical and analytical.

To transfer as a junior, you must complete the following requirements by the end of the spring term prior to fall enrollment at a CSU:

  • 60 UC-transferable units
  • 2.4 GPA in UC-transferable coursework (2.8 if you're a non-California resident)
  • 7-course pattern
  • Required/recommended major preparation
  • Good academic standing

60 UC-Transferable Units 

You can confirm which courses are UC-transferable in the GCC Catalog or at assist.org. No more than 14 semester units of the required 60 units may be taken Pass/No Pass.

2.4 GPA

This GPA includes only UC-transferable courses and is the minimum required to be considered for admission. Many campuses and majors require a higher GPA for admission selection.

7-Course Pattern

The 60 UC-transferable units should include these seven courses:

  • Two courses in English Composition (listed in Areas 1A and 1B of Cal-GETC/IGETC)
  • One course in Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning (listed in Area 2 of Cal-GETC/IGETC)
  • Four courses chosen from at least two of the following subject areas:
    • Arts and Humanities (listed in Area 3 of Cal-GETC/IGETC)
    • Social and Behavioral Sciences (listed in Area 4 of Cal-GETC/IGETC)
    • Physical and Biological Sciences (listed in Area 5 of Cal-GETC/IGETC)

Students should complete math and English as early as possible. Some UC campuses require or highly recommend that these courses be completed by the fall term prior to transfer. 

General Education

Although not considered part of the UC minimum requirements, some UC campuses may require the completion of general education for admission, and others may consider it in their selection process. Most UC campuses and schools accept completion of the Cal-GETC requirements to fulfill these requirements. If you attended GCC continuously before Fall 2025, you also have the option to follow the IGETC requirements for UC transfer. You should meet with a counselor to confirm that your intended UC campus and major accepts Cal-GETC or IGETC. 

Required & Recommended Major Preparation
Most UC campuses admit transfer students by major. While the specific requirements will vary from campus to campus and major to major, all campuses look at major prep. to some degree in the selection process. Majors that are selective receive more qualified applicants than spaces are available, and may require or recommend additional criteria and preparation. This may include courses, specific letter grades in courses, and GPA requirements. If a campus is asking students to complete major preparation courses, they must be completed by the specified timeline. For some selective majors it is recommended that students complete the required courses by fall/winter.

The more prepared students are for the major, the more competitive they will be. Campuses may not be able to take all transfer students that are meeting the minimum requirements, so it is recommended that students go beyond the minimums by taking “recommended” courses. Additional courses beyond the general transfer courses are extremely important for students to not only have a smooth transition but to demonstrate their achievement and interest in their chosen subject area.

You should prioritize completing these courses over completing general education (beyond the 7 courses required above). See the section below for campus-specific transfer selection criteria.

Good Academic Standing

Students must be in good academic standing (2.0 or better) at the last college or university attended and at any previous UC campus where the student was enrolled in a regular term (e.g., fall, winter, spring).

When a campus has more qualified applicants than it has room to accommodate, it applies standards that are more demanding than the minimum UC requirements. Every campus and many selective schools and majors have additional criteria in selecting transfer applicants. For the most detailed and up-to-date information about each campus's transfer selection criteria, see their websites below.

Campus Transfer Selection Major Requirements & TRANSFER Resources
UC Berkeley Transfer Requirements Transfer Admissions Information by College
UC Davis Transfer Requirements Selective Major Requirements
UC Irvine Transfer Requirements Major Specific Admission Requirements
UC Los Angeles Transfer Requirements Major Preparation Requirements
Profile of Admitted Transfer Students
Transferability Guide
UC Merced Transfer Requirements Major Preparation Requirements
UC Riverside Transfer Requirements Majors Preparation Guide
UC San Diego Transfer Requirements Transfer Major Preparation
Selective Majors
UCSD Colleges Transfer GE Requirements
UC Santa Barbara Transfer Requirements Selective Majors for Transfer
UC Santa Cruz Transfer Requirements Screening Major Selection Criteria

To see which GCC courses fulfill the above requirements for a specific campus and major, check assist.org. 

Note: Selective majors and major preparation requirements may change from year to year. It is always recommended to check in with a GCC counselor to ensure you are meeting the minimum requirements for admission.

Six UC campuses offer guaranteed admission to California Community College students who meet specific requirements (UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz). UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC San Diego do not participate in the TAG program.

By participating in TAG, you will receive early review of your academic records, early admission notification and specific guidance about major preparation and general education coursework.

In order to be eligible, at the time of TAG application submission, you must have completed a minimum of 30 UC-transferable units with a certain GPA as required by each university and/or major. Each school has explicit eligibility requirements in regards to minimum GPA and courses that need to be completed by a specific time.

The UC TAG Matrix provides a list of participating campuses, eligibility criteria, and campus specific notes.

You can also review specific TAG information and requirements for each campus:  

For more information about how and when to apply for TAG, visit UC Transfer Admission Guarantee.

UC Dual Admission is a conditional admission guarantee to a UC campus with a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. Participants are offered extra support from UC while they fulfill their transfer requirements. Students have three years to transfer to their chosen UC campus as part of the UC Dual Admission guarantee.

First-year applicants are selected for Dual Admission. If you received the invitation, you’ve been selected for UC Dual Admission! If you received an invitation from the UC, make sure to opt-in to the UC Dual Admission program by the deadline through your UC application, and speak to a Transfer Center counselor.

To learn more about the Dual Admission program, visit UC Dual Admission.

Fall Admission

AUGUST 1: Application opens.

SEPTEMBER 1–30: Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) application filing period.

OCTOBER 1–NOVEMBER 30: Application filing period. The Fall 2026 deadline is December 1, 2025.

DECEMBER 15–JANUARY 31: Transfer Academic Update (TAU) submission period for applicants to report final fall grades and in progress or planned coursework (priority deadline is January 31). Some UCs require supplemental applications to be submitted.

OCTOBER 1-MARCH 2: Priority application filing deadline for financial aid. Students should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or CA Dream Act Application (CADAA), depending on eligibility. GCC submits your GCC GPA to Cal Grant automatically; therefore, there is no need for the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form if GCC was your only college of attendance. 

FEBRUARY-MARCH: Meet with a counselor to apply for any associate degree(s) you qualify for, including the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT). If you are completing Cal-GETC or IGETC requirements, you should also apply for the Cal-GETC or IGETC certificate.   

MARCH-APRIL: Admission decisions released.

JUNE 1: Deadline for admitted UC students to submit Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) and non-refundable deposit.

JULY 1: Final, official transcripts must be sent to the UC campus admissions office. Transcripts must be postmarked or electronically submitted on or before July 1.

JULY 15: Official AP, IB examination results and other documents (such as IGETC or Cal-GETC certification) must be sent to the campus admissions office. Test scores and documents must be postmarked or electronically submitted on or before July 15. You can request GE certification when ordering your transcript through Admissions & Records.

Winter/Spring Admission

MAY 1-31: Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) application filing period for some UCs.

JULY 1-31: Application filing period for some UCs.

AUGUST-DECEMBER 1: Meet with a counselor to apply for any associate degree(s) you qualify for, including the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT). If you are completing Cal-GETC or IGETC requirements, you should also apply for the Cal-GETC or IGETC certificate.   

SEPTEMBER: Transfer Academic Update (TAU) submission period for applicants to report final summer grades and planned coursework (priority deadline is September 30).

SEPTEMBER: Admission decisions released.

OCTOBER 15: Deadline for admitted students to submit Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) and non-refundable deposit.

NOVEMBER 1: Final, official transcripts and/or AP/IB exam scores must be sent to the UC campus admissions office. Transcripts and exam scores must be postmarked or electronically submitted on or before November 1.


UC APPLICATION

The UC application fee is $80 per campus for domestic students* and $95 per campus for international and non-immigrant applicants.

*If you qualify for a fee waiver, you can apply to up to 4 campuses for free!

Application Resources

Application Tips

  • Before you begin your application, make sure that you will meet all admission requirements, including 60 transferable units, by the end of the spring term prior to transfer. Do not assume you can take courses in the summer before transfer, and have those courses "make up" for courses you didn't previously complete. Contact each UC campus directly about their policies regarding summer course completion.

  • Obtain unofficial transcripts for all colleges attended (including international and non-accredited colleges), and AP/IB exam scores (if applicable). 

  • The UC application requires you to enter all courses you have taken, including non-transferable courses. Input courses exactly as they appear on your transcript, including those in which you received "F," "D," "W," "EW," "I," and "NP" grades. 

  • If you see the "07 - Academic Renewal" code in your course history, you should report this grade as "AR."

  • If you repeated a course in which you received a "D" or "F" for a better grade and have the "05 - Course Repeated Excluded" code, you must report both grades (the D/F and the new grade). UC evaluators will identify repeated courses and disregard substandard grades that were repeated as part of their evaluation. 

  • In addition to the courses you have completed, you will also need to indicate what courses you are currently taking and plan to take for the remainder of your time at GCC. If you are unsure, meet with a counselor to map out what courses remain for your intended goal.

  • Prepare a list with concise descriptions of activities, awards, and volunteer work you have participated in. Include the most significant and relevant activities that are meaningful to you.

  • Begin outlining and writing your Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) on a Word document. Make sure you do not exceed the 350-word limit. Once complete, copy and paste them into the application. 

  • We recommend that you have your PIQs reviewed by two GCC counselors for content and the Learning Center for grammar, sentence structure, etc.

  • When you apply for admission through the UC application, you are automatically considered for an application fee waiver based on the information provided in the application. Applicants who are eligible for the application fee waiver may apply to up to four UC campuses per application term (i.e., fall, winter).

  • Check the application to make sure you entered all the information correctly. If there are errors or omissions, notify the campuses that you applied to immediately.

  • If you mistakenly submitted your UC application as a "senior-level" or "sophomore-level" transfer student instead of a “junior-level” transfer student, you should contact each campus directly and appeal for a late application, explaining the situation. It will be up to each individual campus to decide whether to consider a late application.

  • You do not need to send transcripts or Cal-GETC/IGETC certification at the time of your application. You only send those items when they are requested by the UC campus.

  • Activate your campus student portal(s) as soon as possible. In addition to email, the campus portal is one of the primary means that campuses use to communicate with students regarding important updates, such as your application status and required document deadlines.

  • If you are completing a transferable math or English course in winter, go back to the UC Transfer Application Update (TAU) page, and enter your winter grade(s). 

  • If you have college or university courses (other than GCC) or AP/IB credit that you are using to satisfy Cal-GETC or IGETC requirements, they must be evaluated to determine applicability to specific requirements. If you haven't done so, please see a GCC counselor to start that process. 

  • Students with international college or university transcripts: Sometimes UC evaluators need to see unofficial copies of these transcripts. They will email you and ask for these. Please have copies ready in case you receive notification that they need to see these transcripts.

Transfer Academic Update

  • After applying to the UC, all transfer applicants are required to update their academic information by January 31st to ensure the UCs have your most current academic information. You must provide your final fall grades and list all courses in progress or planned for the upcoming term(s) before you expect to enroll at the UC.
  • To complete the UC Transfer Academic Update (TAU), you need to log in to your UC application and click on the Transfer Academic Update link on the Application Status page. Here you will submit your fall grades and confirm or update your upcoming winter/spring/summer schedules. The UC TAU site opens December 15th.
  • All transfer applicants must submit a TAU regardless of their date of application and even if they have no new information to provide. Even if you do not have any in-progress or planned courses and your record of course grades were complete in your original application, you must complete the TAU.

  • Failure to submit a TAU by the January 31st deadline may jeopardize a student’s chances for admission.

  • Even if you didn't pass a class or earned a "W" in the fall, you must include it on the application update.
  • Winter intersession grades are not included in the GPA calculation for admission. Students should not wait for winter grades before submitting the TAU, as those grades are typically not available before the January 31st deadline. 

  • If you did not include some information on your original UC application, such as receiving academic renewal after submitting your UC application, you can add it to the comments section of the TAU. After the TAU deadline passes, you will need to contact the schools directly to inform them of any missed information on your original UC application.

  • Submit your TAU no later than the January 31st priority deadline; however, the TAU is open until March 15 for any additional updates. You will also receive various reminders about submitting the TAU via the email address you used to create the application; you should check your email frequently for reminders and any additional information requests.

Personal Insight Questions (PIQs)

Application Help Center

If you have questions, please contact the application helpdesk: ucinfo@applyucsupport.net

UC Application Center

  • Within the U.S.: (800) 207-1710
  • Outside the U.S.: (925) 298-6856
For helpdesk hours, scroll to the bottom of the UC application.